A Legacy of Hope Scholarships for Survivors of Childhood Cancer

(aka) Stephen T Marchello Scholarship Foundation

1170 E. Long Place
Centennial, Co 80122
Phone: 303-886-5018

Mission

Our Mission - Building a future for college bound childhood cancer survivors by reducing the financial burden for them and their families. These young people have survived a life changing experience that has affected the rest of their lives.

Real Life Story

There are extreme mental, physical, and financial strains put on a family when a child goes through cancer, we want to help these young people obtain their dreams by helping them to further their education. Based on statistics from the health department, there will be approximately 100 high school graduates each year in Colorado, who are survivors of childhood cancer. Without this scholarship, many of these young people will not be able to afford college or any type of post secondary education.

Following are statistics about children's cancer:

* In the U.S., there are 12,400 new cases of cancer each year in children between the ages of newborn and fourteen.

* Cancer is the third major cause of death in childhood.

* Young adults under the age of nineteen can get uterine, ovarian, prostate, or testicular cancer.

* One out of every 310 people will get some form of cancer before they reach the age of twenty.

Some cancer treatments last over three years. Often surgical procedures and extensive rehabilitation are necessary. Frequently, the parents need to put their careers and jobs on hold in order to give the support necessary to their children who are undergoing treatment. In most cases, teenagers who are going through chemotherapy cannot work to save money for college. Cancer survivors have many options taken away that are available to other people. For example, they cannot be accepted into the military and health insurance and life insurance are difficult and often more expensive to obtain.